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" What kind of ride would you want for a lunar road trip? NASA&amp;#039;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is developing a hardy robotic vehicle that could serve as an all-purpose hauler for explorers. The robot can be controlled from Earth or driven by astronauts to carry cargo, including habitation modules, to far-flung destinations on the moon. The system, the All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer, or ATHLETE, rides on six wheels until it meets a boulder, then it extends its hinged legs like a spider to step over the obstacle. While the prototype has 6-ft. limbs, the proposed lunar version`s legs would be four times as long. When not in traveling mode, ATHLETE can use its limbs to lift cargo and tools. Tests in the desert dunes of Washington state are planned to evaluate improved versions of the robot.  RELATED STORIES * Q&amp;amp;amp;A: NASA Robot Guru on Unmanned Extraterrestrial Next Steps  * FIRST LOOK: Inside NASA&amp;#039;s Plan to Bomb the Moon and Find Water  * COMPLETE COVERAGE: News &amp;amp;amp; Analysis on the Future of Space   (Photograph by Jim Bates) "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/moon-mars/a12147/4286604/>